Conviction

Well, I was convicted today. Have you ever gone to church and just known that the Lord developed the sermon or lesson just for you? That was today for me.

Today was all about faith. About trusting in things unseen, much like my plea yesterday. "Why can't I just see a glimpse of His plan?"

One of my sweet friends reminded me of the cross stitch analogy. That sometimes all we see is the underside with the knots, unexpected color changes, etc., & we can't see the beautiful masterpiece on the front.

The sermon this morning talked about being Driven to Serve which allowed me to take the focus off of me and my selfishness. This prepared my heart to hear the lesson in Sunday School. Our lesson was from Hebrews 11. I encourage you to get out your bible and read it or click on the link to read it online. Wow!

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. -So, we don't need visible proof to trust in the Lord & His plan.

Hebrews 11:2
This is what the ancients were commended for. -God rewards our faith.

Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.-God's Word, the Bible, His command, is what formed the universe out of unseen things. Therefore, we can rely on His perfect Word to guide us through what we can't see (my biggest problem)!!

Today we also discussed all of the heroes of the Bible that trusted in the Lord without seeing anything. Such as Noah. It had NEVER rained, yet the Lord told him to build a massive ark and fill it with animals. How absolutely crazy would people think we were if we did something of the sort? However, he had faith & a holy fear that the Lord had called him to it and so he obeyed. He didn't wait to see the rain to start building it.

We also discussed how there is a misconception that being a follower of Christ means that your life will be rosey! It's actually quite the opposite. We can look through the Word of God and see many that had great faith and obedience, that lost their lives, their families, etc. Even Jesus, who lived a perfect life on this earth, He still faced death on a cross and was brutally beaten, as well. So, needless to say, I was quite convicted today that I don't need to see God's plan to know that He cares for me and has a plan for me.

We also discussed how it's all about perspective! One of the guys in our class was discussing joy in sufferings and brought up James 1:2. He reminded us all of Ben's perspective about his cancer. When Ben first told our Sunday School class that he had cancer, the words out of his mouth were, "I'm looking forward to this!" Wow! What perspective and what amazing lessons I can learn from my husband!

Here is some of James 1:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord James 1:6-7

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

So, back to the lesson yesterday, that perseverance, character, and hope, are all apparently being developed in me. I just hope that I can have Ben's attitude from here on out, that I'm looking forward to the trials ahead of me as opportunities to give God the glory.

I received this in an e-mail tonight:

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

In closing:

Hebrews 11: 24-27
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

What a challenge to me and to you to look ahead to our reward (eternity with Christ), rather than focus on the pleasures of this world!!

Oh baby!!

Well, my mantra today has been, "I know it's part of God's plan, but I'd just like to see a glimpse of His ultimate plan so I know why I'm enduring all of this!"

Today has been a bit frustrating (emotional, maybe). A few of you know that the doctors allowed us to put off Ben's chemo for a few weeks so that we could try to get pregnant. Reason being, due to the chemo, we can not try to get pregnant for at least a year after his treatments are over because it can remain in his body for that long & cause serious birth defects. So, they gave us one shot & my doctor gave me meds to take to increase our chances & then an injection to make sure my body did exactly what it was supposed to do (I'm sparing y'all the medical terms b/c I know there are men that read this that don't care for those details). Well, apparently a baby isn't a part of God's plan for us right now. Probably good for my manager since I've already been out so much with being sick earlier this year and now Ben's stuff and he's been so supportive. So, we're not pregnant. As much as that would add a "stress" to all that is going on, it was quite disappointing to not be...

So, I moped a bunch today that we're not pregnant, my husband has cancer, and Ben was invited to go to the A&M/Baylor game (no fair)!! Come on, I worked for the athletic department at A&M. Surely I enjoy football more than him and should have been there. Anyway, he is hopefully driving back right now from Waco as the Aggies beat Baylor 31-21.

Despite the pity party that I've been throwing for myself today, I have received some precious encouragement from friends. One friend e-mailed me that she had been praying for us and followed it up with this scripture:

...through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.Romans 5:2-4

So, I'm assuming this means the Lord is producing perseverance, character, & hope in me. Why does it have to be so hard and yucky?

Anyway, Ben is doing very well. He seems to have an ache in his stomach every morning and then it works its way out as the day progresses. His fingers are still numb, but he's learning to not be too annoyed with it. Otherwise, he's doing great. He got his hair trimmed on Friday and turns out that his barber lost her husband to cancer and so Ben was able to have a great discussion with her. He said it was the best hair cut he'd ever had!

Ben also got to spend some time with our Congressman, Ralph Hall, on Friday. It was a special time for him as Congressman Hall's first question for Ben was, "How are we going to beat this?" Anyway, he showed precious concern for Ben and told him that he thinks about him everyday and is praying for him. So precious that despite an election & running the country he takes time to remember Ben, pray for him, and show concern! Please pray for his wife Mary Ellen as she is suffering from severe Parkinson's and is fed through a tube now.

Thank you all for listening to my ramblings today. Hopefully, we all have more perseverance, character, & hope! Here is some scripture that has encouraged me tonight!!

...that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.
Romans 1:12

2 Corinthians 7
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Paul's Joy
Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.
For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.
Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. By all this we are encouraged.
In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:2-3

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,...
Hebrews 6:17-19

Humility

Well, I've learned quite a bit about humility over the last few days. As most of you know, I struggled selfishly with not getting much attention on my birthday. However, this scripture was part of my quiet time yesterday:

"Therefore anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven."
Matthew 18:4 NLT

We also got an e-mail from some friends of ours that are adopting a little girl, Abbey, from Russia. They just got back from their first trip to see her. When I read all that Abbey's little life has been like & realized that she won't have anyone around to wish her a Happy Birthday this year, I was completely humbled & felt like a big jerk. So, the Lord once again used adoption to touch my life & convict me.

Enough about me. On to the reason you are here:

Ben

He is doing okay, but still feels yucky. Our former neighbor, who is a physician, called to check on Ben the other day. When I told her that he wasn't feeling well, she said, "Remind him that this means the chemo is working!" What an awesome encouragement for Ben!! He went into this battle saying that he didn't want to know any side effects because he didn't want to put the idea in his mind, thus creating the side effect. We also had quite a few people tell us that it would be the 3rd or 4th treatment before he would get sick. With all of that, he was quite discouraged that he wasn't feeling well! However, our friend offered the exact words of encouragement that he needed. When I shared her thoughts with him over dinner, his exact words were, "I needed to hear that!" So, thank you, Michelle!

Ben missed class on Monday because he felt so bad, yesterday he didn't have any classes to go to at all (professors were out of town)! So, the man that usually wakes up before the sun slept until about noon. Then, he got up, feeling better, & helped around the house. He did about ten loads of laundry, unpacked boxes, hung pictures, etc. What a stud! So, the mornings are a bit tougher is what we're gathering! One of the side effects that he is experiencing that is more annoying to him than anything is peripheral neuropathy (a.k.a. his fingertips are numb). This is a common side effect for Vinblastine (one of his chemo drugs) which is made from a plant in the Periwinkle family!! Useless trivia!

Another friend of ours shared a secret that oatmeal helped one of her friends get through chemo! Thank you, Sonja, for the great suggestion. Ben has had oatmeal every morning since & he said it does help considerably!

Ben went to class today. He felt pretty bad when he woke up, but he forced himself to get up & get ready. He missed his first class because it just took him longer to get ready today. However, he left in time to study & go to his lab! I believe that he will have a make-up test or two tomorrow. So, please be in prayer for his studying!

The Lord just keeps placing precious people in our lives that are blessing us considerably! Our Sunday School class has signed up to bring meals to us on the days that Ben is receiving chemo. We also have a friend who works for a physician that had Hodgkins Lymphoma (like Ben, but his was more advanced). This physician has changed his practice & it is now more focused on nutrition & supplements. When Ben was first diagnosed, our friend shared Ben's story & outlook with the physician. He gifted Ben with hundreds of dollars worth of supplements. WOW! Praise the Lord!! Ben was running low on some of the supplements & so we called our friend, Diane, to see if we could get some more & to find out how much we owed. She said that these were "on her!" WOW again!! The Lord keeps amazing us with the precious hearts he places in our path. We keep getting enormous bills in the mail from the hospital, doctors, etc., & so generosity like this just continues to encourage us that God is watching out for every little detail! Thank you, Lord, & thank you, Diane, for being a vessel for the Lord!!

So, that is where we are right now! Thank you for caring enough to check in...

Prayers:

*The chemo keeps killing the cancer, but that Ben will feel well enough to do well in his classes, etc.
*Ben's studying for his tests.
*Abbey in Russia that she will receive nourishment, love, & that she will recognize her parents when they arrive. Also, that the 10-day waiting period will be waived for her new family.
*Granny (my grandmother would return to health (her BP has been fluctuating)!

Thank you all for your prayers, love, & for being vessels for Him!

We love you all!!

Quick Update!

Well, things have changed considerably since the last post, including my age. Yesterday was my b-day...yikes! It was a rough one. I'm spoiled to waking up to my Mom or my college roommates or Ben throwing presents on me & singing. Instead, Ben was sick & I got a Happy Birthday from him about an hour and a half after we woke up. After church, we went to lunch with Ben's parents & my Mom & then I went to Mom's house where she made me get in her bed & she threw presents all over me!! It was just hard to realize yesterday that I'm 28, have no kids, & my husband has cancer! Just a real reality check. So, yesterday was tough.

Today is better for me, but Ben still isn't feeling well. He stayed home from class today because he felt so yucky! He can't really pinpoint what feels bad...just that he has a wierd ache in his stomache & earlier he had a headache, too. I told him, "Welcome to the world of women where we always have a wierd ache or cramp in our stomach!" He said he thinks he gets it now! ; ) Please pray for him to feel better so that he can knock this semester out of the water with school! This is a very important semester for him.

Thank you all for your prayers!!

1 Day Post Chemo

Well, we made the first night...

We had Mexican food last night (a little Pappasito's is apparently all you need to make the chemo go down ; )...).

Ben did so well with the chemo. He is feeling great. Though last night was a little different. We were all (Ben, his parents, & me) exhausted when we got home last night, but Ben felt great. I woke up about 6:30 this morning and realized Ben wasn't next to me. I, of course, jumped up afraid that he was sick. Not my baby!! He said he woke up with a little acid indigestion and felt like the Lord was telling him to get in the Word! So, he got up and spent some time in the Word reading Mark 4, when Jesus first started speaking in Parables. When I woke up, I called his name and he didn't answer. So, I asked our dog, Hank, "Where is Dad?" He jumped off the bed and sat at the door. So, I opened the door and sure enough Ben was sitting at the kitchen table. He said that he had great time in the Word and some awesome time in prayer! We then went back to sleep and slept until 9am! Praise the Lord!!



He feels great now! They gave him some anti-nausea medication that the nurse told him he had to take. Ben says he has no intentions of getting nauseated! That's my fighter! Anyway, I read this morning that most anti-nausea meds are better at preventing than stopping and so it's important for him to take the meds to avoid the nausea all together!!

We are about to leave to go to Knox St. and walk around with Ben's parents. We are also thinking of going to the Nasher Sculpture Gardens in Dallas. We shall see.

Anyway, it's great having Ben's parents here. Please say a prayer for Ben's Dad as he has a cold and isn't feeling well. He's so worried about getting Ben sick. So, please also pray for Ben's protection.

We are so grateful for your prayers and love! We feel it!! Wow!! God is using each of you mightily!!

CHEMO DAY!!!

Today’s entry is a combination of thoughts throughout the day. I started this when we got to the hospital & each time I had an opportunity to write something, I did. So, please forgive me if this is a bunch of random ramblings.

*****************************************************************************

We’re here! Hard to believe that this day has finally arrived. We are sitting in the lobby of the Cancer Center at Baylor waiting to be called back for labs. We’ve had a pretty eventful last few days with lots of tears of joy due to so many people with sweet, Christ-like hearts. Sorry that I haven’t had a second to sit down and write anything. I had a meeting in Tyler on Tuesday & didn’t get home until around 9pm, but I did get to see my cousin, George, who plays football for Tyler Junior College. What a precious man! He has come to know the Lord this year which brings us so much joy!! He has always had a precious heart, but with Jesus in his heart, he is even more precious! He asked me if Ben was going to lose his hair. He said that he told his Mom the night before that if he found out that Ben lost even a patch of hair, his would be gone immediately. He said, “I want to walk with him through this!!” So precious!! Let’s just say I cried most of the way home amazed by his sweet spirit. Then, on Wednesday, my boss rode with me in Athens, TX!! What a wonderful man. He has been so supportive through all of this…from me getting sick in April & us still not knowing what is going on, to Ben’s diagnosis, he has been amazing & so supportive! Please say a prayer that the Lord would shower extra blessings upon him & his family for his kindness!

Yesterday was quite amazing, as well. Early yesterday morning we received a call from a friend in our Sunday School class. She said that she knew that today would be a rough day & so she wanted to prepare a meal for us so that we didn’t have to worry about cooking. So thoughtful & selfless!! Well, all we can say is, “Wow!!” She came over last night with quite a feast! She made salad (which we packed for our lunches today), chicken spaghetti, a loaf of bread, oooey gooey brownies (be still my heart!!), blueberry muffins for this morning, & most importantly, sweet cards from her, her husband & her three children. So beautiful & selfless. She even brought me a birthday present! Her cards are full of scripture & encouragement & prayers from her children. We know the Lord hears their sweet, innocent prayers! She had cards for us to open today, specifically. So encouraging & full of scripture. She also brought Ensure incase Ben didn’t feel like eating. She took off the labels & replaced them with scriptures. Such a selfless act & such an encourager. Her spiritual gifts are quite obvious in this time. Her kids came with her & were such a precious encouragement, too. Their sweet hugs were enough to lift any spirit. We have also received some precious calls from friends in our Sunday School class, letting us know they are praying for us & reminding us of God’s strength vs. ours. What precious brothers & sisters in Christ we have….Wow!!

We are now sitting in the lobby of the infusion therapy center (chemo) waiting for them to call Ben back to start his treatments. Yeah!! We are finally here ready to start knocking this out. As much as I don’t want my husband to have to go through this, it’s so exciting to actually be here & know that we are going to start kicking this. Ben feels awesome!! He has actually gained weight since this started (quite rare) & all of his labs look better than they did last time! Praise the Lord! He’s been working out, taking supplements, & is doing so well. We are so grateful for the Lord’s protection in all of this.

My Granny is such a prayer warrior & any time that she prays & sees the Lord smile, we get a positive answer. Well, through all of this, she hasn’t been getting any smiles from the Lord. However, this morning when she sat at the feet of our Father, He smiled at her! Praise Him!!

Last night, we celebrated my birthday early since I was supposed to be out of town all next week starting Sunday (Praise the Lord, the company allowed me to cancel this trip & reschedule). Doing this caused us to miss a reunion for alumni of T Bar M Christian Sports Camp, of which Ben attended as a camper & then as a counselor (coach). It is his second home!! Throughout this entire journey, Ben has been repeating a theme from his years at T Bar M. It is:

Not I but Christ in every look and action,

Not I but Christ in every word & deed,
Not self esteem, but Christ esteem!

So, he was telling the director of camp how special this theme has been to him through this journey. Johnny, the director, came in town last night for the reunion & to see Ben. He brought Ben a very special gift…a long sleeve T-shirt from camp with this statement on the back. On the front of the shirt, it says,

NOT
I
BUT
CHRIST

What an awesome proclamation to all that Ben encounters while here. We already had one of the receptionists see it & get excited & say, “Yes, sir, Amen, that’s the truth!!” They are so much fun here & so many of them obviously love the Lord!!

Wow! What a joyful experience we just had…we are sitting in the infusion room about to start chemo & we see a cute young lady with a pink cap on covering her sweet bald head! We noticed that they were passing out confetti. Turns out that today is her last day of chemo & in the room next to her is one of her friends that she has met while here. Her friend, Donna, is actually from Rockwall & is the sister of a guy that I went to high school with…we also worked with her Mom in the nursery at our church. Anyway, today was the last treatment for each of them & they were having quite a celebration…I got to be the photographer! That was, of course, through the tears of joy that I was shedding for them! I hope the pictures turned out okay. What a blessing to get to witness this on the first day of chemo! Such precious girls, so excited, & witnessing the end result! They each had cute shirts that they changed into that said, “I survived!” My favorite could be the pins on their shirts that said, “Cancer sucks!!” Yes it does, but to God be the glory!! Please be in prayer for each of them that the cancer would stay away forever…

Well, we have officially started chemotherapy. His treatment is called ABVD. They have already given Ben the injection of the red stuff, the A (Adriamycin, also known as doxorubicin). Supposed to change the color of his urine for a day or so (I know, Too Much Information, but quite humorous)!! They have given him the nausea medication, the V, Vinblastine (made from a plant in the periwinkle family), & have started the pump with the DTIC (Dacarbazine). The D in ABVD. The B, Bleomycin will be last. Ben is watching Monty Python-Search for the Holy Grail to pass his time…nothing like British humor to pass the time. They say we have a little more than an hour left to wait here.

Ben’s parents are coming in town this weekend which should be so much fun. He hasn’t seen his Mom since this summer & they haven’t seen the new house we are in…They should already be at our house! So, it will be fun to come home to see them tonight.

We are now home & Ben KNOCKED OUT his first round of chemo!! Yeah Ben! What a trooper! He did great & apparently pumped quickly. His didn't take as long as they expected. Must be those good veins. Anyway, he did so well! Also, his nurse, Ellen, is a Christian & she's from the Phillipines. So, we enjoyed getting to know her, too! Ben's parents are here and we are headed for Mexican food!!

Is it really Friday?

Wow! It's hard to believe that the weekend is almost here. We have had a crazy, yet fun week. Ben is a superstar & had moved almost all of the house over. We had about eight big pieces of furniture & then a garage full of stuff remaining. So, on Wednesday night, the guys from our ABF (Sunday School) came over to help us move! Wow! What a precious group of guys! Can I call guys precious? Anyway, they have a growth group that meets on Wednesday nights, so instead of that, they came and helped us. I think the Lord received more glory from them coming to serve us than they might have sitting in a circle just studying God's word...they were doers of His Word! Romans 2:13 Way to live out your faith guys! Thank you! We can't begin to put in to words what a blessing they were and are to us.

We also had two of our friends that I mentioned in the blog on Tuesday, come & help us, Collin & April! They were such troopers. We had some furniture that we were going to put in a garage sale & so we needed to take it to Mom's house. When we got there, I realized that I didn't have my garage door opener...yikes! So, Collin & April helped me as we tried to break into Mom's house (we couldn't do it). I guess it's good to know that we would all be bad crooks!! Anyway, Ben came over & did a drive-by garage open!! Then, we loaded up a piece of furniture from Mom's house that we were going to put in the new house. We arrived at the new house about the time I realized that Ben also had the opener for that house, too! Lovely!! So, they were amazing being patient with my forgetfulness!! Mom told me that April even went back over to the old house & packed up most of our pantry for us! Such servant's hearts!

Wow! We have truly felt hugs from the Lord through all of these precious couples serving the Lord by helping us move! Thank you for being the arms of our Lord!!!

So, the movers came on Thursday morning (originally scheduled for Friday, today) & so Mom went over to our house to show them the few remaining things like a bird bath, Ben's grill, & some pictures still on the walls. Mom apparently picked up the bill there & so we feel so blessed that we've been able to save so much money through this process! Thank you all for the roll that you've played in this. Even those of you that are far away and couldn't be here, we know you were praying for God's provision for us! He heard your prayers!!!! Thank you so much!!

Here we are on Friday trying to finish the job. I am taking the day off & Ben's one class today is taking a test that his professor is allowing him to do next week. So, we are both here trying to get the house set up! We are about to leave to head to the old house & empty all of the remaining closets, cabinets, etc. I have a feeling it's going to take longer than anticipated!! It will be fun to get to hang with my hubby, though!

Thank you all so much for your prayers for us! You are each so precious to our hearts! Thank you, thank you. May "the Lord turn his countenance upon you & give you peace" numbers 6:26

Sharing & Caring

Wow! I must start with a precious gift that we each received on Sunday night. Our next door neighbors have three wonderful kids. A nine year old and seven year old twins. The twins learned about Sharing & Caring in Sunday School. In response to that, they made gifts for Ben & me. They took brown paper bags and decorated them with sweet comments about caring for one another. They are both decorated with a big heart that says "caring first aid." Ben's has a picture of our dog Hank & Ben on it and also says, "I hope you get well soon." He also managed to throw in a scoreboard with a tie between the Aggies & t-sips. My bag has a picture of our neighbor "helping an old lady out of a market." So incredibly sweet and the kicker, they were filled with all kinds of yummy candy! We love our neighbors and their sweet spirits. We hope that our children will have hearts as sensitive to the Lord's teachings as these sweet neighbors'. We love them dearly and will miss them considerably when we move! We also found out tonight that they are getting two new kitties and plan to name one after our dog, "Hank!"

The Lord has made sure that we felt extra hugged today! Within minutes of each other, we recieved e-mails from two different people offering to come over and help us move. One was a friend from Rockwall that is also an Aggie. The truth is we had no idea that he even knew. However, his wife and he have been keeping up with the blog, saw the need, and listened to the Lord's calling to offer their muscles! Wow! I wish I was that responsive to the Lord! Then, we had a sweet girl from the agency that Ben used to work at (dental stuff) that said she and her supervisor were watching the blog and they saw a need and have trailers, trucks, and big brothers!! Wow! We are just humbled and feel the Lord's love for us and comforting touch through each of you!!

Ben was able to have a nice discussion with a physician in Rockwall that had a severe form of Hodgkin's Lymphoma a while back. This doc is now doing all alternative meds/nutritional supplements. I believe that we have decided to do the supplements and chemo. So, our next visit to the oncologist will be for Ben's first chemo treatment. It was scheduled for Oct. 19th. However, they ask us to push it back a day to the 20th. So, we will spend the entire day at Baylor as his first appt. is at 10:30 and his chemo will start around noon or so. Ben's parents will also arrive in town that night.

This doctor that Ben spoke with made sure to make the point that Ben's immune system is now extremely compromised. He is not to really play with any babies, go to enclosed places, etc. He told him to act like the bubble boy. We may not be that strict, but we've been trying to tell Ben that there were some things he needed to avoid and he's such a trooper, he didn't want to cut anything out of his plans!! However, this doc was able to make the point and Ben bought into it. Based on that conversation, we will not be traveling for Thanksgiving...we were originally supposed to go see Ben's parents. So, we are hoping that his brother, sister-in-law, and nephews and his parents will be able to come to our house for Thanksgiving!

Thank you all for the encouragement regarding my hair. Apparently, stress and hormones can cause hair loss and I'm not short on either right now. So, we're just praying it comes back soon!

Prayers:
*safety for Ben's parents as they travel
*safety for me as I am away on a business trip
*protection for Ben while I am away
*wisdom for Ben with his classes
*wisdom and peace for the decisions we need to make regarding chemo/radiation.
*Ben has been getting tired lately...strength for him to overcome these little things.

Praises:
*sweet friends that are wrapping their arms around us
*our Sunday School class has also offered to help us move!!
*God is faithful to heal and we trust that He will heal Ben
*You...you are each such an encouragement to us!!

Oh what a day!!

Well, I intend for this post to be short as it has been a long day and it is late. I am still trying to finish all of my work on one computer while I try to get this done on the other. Craziness! We went to the oncologist today. He said that he wasn't worried at all about Ben's pulmonary function test. He felt that the possible asthma was too minor to mention. Ben feels great. He says he actually feels better than he did prior to his diagnosis. He has been taking quite a few supplements & vitamins and he's been working out quite a bit, too! So, he feels good!

The doc, of course, told us that we could not put off chemo to try these supplements that we have found. He has told us that Ben can take the supplement while doing chemo. So, we have a lot of praying to do. Our prayer is for God's wisdom & peace about our decision. We just want to follow His leading! We have a lot of praying to do this week!

Ben's first chemo appt. was moved to Oct. 20th. That is the Friday that his parents get in town. So, hopefully, he will feel great.

Also, we are still in the process of moving and getting the house packed. We are trying to take as much over each night as possible so that we don't have to pay movers. We're trying to $$$ave$$$ave$$$ave!!

As a quick side note: I am losing my hair like crazy. Ben even noticed a difference in my scalp today. I don't know if this is thyroid, stress (what stress?), etc. related, but it would be nice to figure it out so that I have some hair left.

Thank you all for your prayers! We have a dear friend in Houston that is at 35 1/2 weeks pregnant and she went into labor at 34 wks. She was hospitalized for a few days and now she is at home with a pump to get her as far along as possible. So, please pray that Baby Claire would hold on as long as possible and that she would be as healthy as can be!!

Your prayers are so precious to us! Thank you for allowing the Lord to use you and guide you to our site each day!

Movin' on up!!

Well, we accomplished a lot yesterday for the move! Praise the Lord! I could be married to the strongest man in the world! Holy cow! If it were up to me, I would carry a small box, but he is moving major pieces of furniture! We're thinking we might not need to pay the movers much if we can get all of this knocked out ourselves! We may leave the major appliances for them, though! Ben was a bit exhausted when we finished last night, but I don't think it had anything to do with cancer, but more with all of the hard work that he did! Seriously, all I can think to say is,"WOW!!!" He is strong, physically & mentally!! I love his drive and determination!! Inspiring!

We also spent some time today at a memorial service. I told you about my friend who lost his three year old daughter (she beat cancer, but a virus got her). Yesterday was her memorial service and it was absolutely beautiful! Little Peyton touched a lot of lives. Pastor Steve did the message at the end and it was perfectly spoken!

Today will be more of a day focused on studying & rest so that he can finish playing catch up from our time at MD Anderson. Please pray for his supernatural strength to conquer it all!

Thank you all for your prayers and love in this time!! We love you!

Hi-Ho Hi-Ho, It's off to work we go...

Wow! This last week has been absolutely crazy! So sorry that we haven't written in sooner. I have had a lot of work to catch up on from our time at MD Anderson. Then, Ben has had a bunch of studying to catch up on so that he is ready for all of his tests that are coming up around the corner.

Oh, and we're moving!! Yep, you read correctly. We spent a great deal of time in prayer about what we should do...as many of you know, we move into vacant houses that aren't selling and decorate them with our furniture to help them sell. So, basically we are on a month to month lease, which is a little uneasy as we prepare for Chemo Treatments. Through prayer, we felt God telling us that we needed to find something permanent. We wrote a letter to the owner of our home asking for permission to move out. We didn't hear from him for a few days which made us nervous. However, we received a call from his real estate agent telling us that there was a contract on the house. Praise Jesus! So, the Lord has worked all of this out perfectly. Better for us to be prepared, planning to move, and then find out the house had sold, than to find out the house had sold and rush to find something. The Lord knows how much more I can handle these days and so he seems to be taking it easier on me. Thank you, Lord! So, we are moving. We are trying to do as much of it by ourselves as we can to save money. Ben is one strong guy! Wow! I'm amazed at all of the stuff he has carried out on his own.

Now, for an update on the man of the hour, the reason you are here. Ben is still doing remarkably well! He feels great and if you saw him, you would never know that he has cancer! Sometimes, I forget! Last night, we were at the RHS Homecoming game and Mom would tell someone that Ben had cancer and they would just look at him funny, as if to say, he doesn't look like he has cancer! It's so true! He appears to be healthy as a horse! He also downed an entire sausage on a stick, cheeseburger, 4 bags of chips, etc. So, he's still eating well, too!

Anyway, he had his pulmonary function test this week. It actually came back with one abnormal reading. The tech said that it may mean he has some type of obstruction. We have an appt. on Monday with the oncologist who will be able to tell us what this means. The tech did say that she didn't think it would affect his chemo treatments.

We have also learned about a supplement that has "cured" quite a few Rockwall folks! One lady was diagnosed with breast cancer and never did chemo or radiation and it's almost ten years later and she's in awesome health!! So, we should be placing our order for that in the very near future! It's expensive and not covered by insurance. So, we are trying to find ways that we can cut back on our spending to be able to cover the cost...throwing a move into the mix just tightens the budget a tad bit. However, we know the Lord provides!

Also, Ben will start his chemo on the 19th.

Ben's parents are coming to town in a few weeks! I know he is thrilled to get to see them. His dad came in town right after he was diagnosed, but he hasn't seen his Mom! So, I know he's looking forward to one of her hugs!!

I hear Ben rustling in the bedroom, waking up, so I will end this! Thank you all for your prayers! If you will take a little time today to pray for a friend of mine from high school. Today is the memorial service for his youngest daughter, who beat cancer, but had a virus that was too strong for her little body.

Prayers:

*The Johnson's on the loss of little Peyton.
*God's glory through this trial.
*Ben's continued health!
*My productivity since I have missed so much time at work.
*Wisdom with our finances.

Praises:
*Ben is still as healthy as can be...
*My manager has been so amazing and supportive through all of this
*All the love and support the Lord has sent our way through each of you!